The objective of the Molecular and Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases Training Program at SUNY Stony Brook is to provide a multidisciplinary training for Pre- and Postdoctoral Trainees in the broad area of infectious diseases. The training environment has gained significant momentum with the establishment of the Center for Infectious Diseases (CID) in the new Center for Molecular Medicine at Stony Brook last year. Formal training with Category A agents will be facilitated by the establishment of a new course "Principles of Biodefense Research". The course will include didactic sessions on Category A Agents and hands on experience working with several Category Agents Agents in a Biosafety level 3 laboratory. The Training Program will be based in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Stony Brook, 10 of whose faculty are members of the Training Program. With an additional 19 outstanding faculty from other University Departments, the nearby Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratories, the Program will train Ph.D. students and Postdoctoral Fellows for a productive career in infectious disease research. The Predoctoral Training Program will consist of lecture and laboratory courses in Genetics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases that will prepare students for thesis research. Students who show the most promise, based on their undergraduate academic performance and their achievements in graduate course work and laboratory rotations, will be placed on the Training Grant for a 3-year period. Individual training faculty will be primarily responsible for the training of Postdoctoral Fellows in the laboratory setting. Postdoctoral trainees will have the option to audit Immunology and Infectious Diseases courses, and to present a Departmental seminar at the conclusion of their 3-year training appointment. The training environment for Pre- and Postdoctoral Trainees includes active seminar series organized by different Departments at Stony Brook and Cold Spring Harbor. Trainees will be encouraged to participate in research symposia held at Stony Brook and Cold Spring Harbor. The overall mission of the Training Program is to provide Pre- and Postdoctoral Trainees with a solid background in biological sciences and the molecular basis of infectious diseases to allow them to pursue a productive career in the areas of infectious diseases and biodefense research.